Comments on: How Punctual Is Your Train?http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/
Blogging From the Five BoroughsThu, 06 Oct 2011 16:51:56 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/section/NytSectionHeader.gifNYThttp://www.nytimes.com
By: plphttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-727285
Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:48:28 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-727285Ms. Ono needs to stop opposing the parole of Mr. Chapman. He should be treated no differently than any other ILL offender. She is contradicting everything Mr. Lennon was about and contributing the the misinformation and stigmatization around mental illness.

]]>By: Scottillahttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719228
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:50:22 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719228In 2009 the trains were better than ever. The same cannot be said for 2010. With fewer trains and more crowds, bnot only is the ride uncomfortable, but the loading and unloading are unpredictable, making trains late and causing congestion at the bottlenecks, likethe Manhattan bridge. I know this is blasphemy, but I’d be willing to pay a little more to keep the service up.
]]>By: Kathleen in Inwoodhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719224
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:39:04 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719224Rush hour A-train service has become significantly slower and more crowded just in the last few months. When I moved from Brooklyn to Inwood in January, I thought I might be escaping the F-train’s 15 minute rush hour waits on packed platforms and the “cattle car” feeling of the ride home, but lately, the evening uptown A from Port Authority has been almost as bad. I suspect that the MTA is making service cuts that they are not admitting to, in addition to the long long list of announced cut-backs…
]]>By: Chrishttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719202
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:46:20 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719202NJT’s on-time performance is even worse if you factor in their excessive schedule padding. Because of this, many outbound trains can be 10-20 minutes late to their midpoint stations, but make it to their endpoint in time to be counted on time.

Another thing that isn’t captured in the official OTP numbers is time lost to missed transfers. If an outbound train from New York arrives in Secaucus 15 minutes late, it’ll probably make it to its endpoint on time and be counted on time. However, everyone who missed their connection at Secaucus will be delayed 30-120 minutes, depending on the frequency of service on their connecting line. The OTP numbers don’t reflect that at all. I’d like to see the % of rush hour trains arriving in Secaucus and Newark on time, but I’d be surprised if NJT even tracked that information.

As for blaming NJT’s poor performance on Amtrak, that’s not the whole story. Many NJT delays are caused by NJT equipment or operating problems that cause them to miss their assigned time slots on Amtrak-owned trackage. Amtrak has every right to prioritize their own trains when they would be delayed by a late-running NJT train, but, in fact, they frequently accommodate NJT at the expense of their own trains.

]]>By: Michaelhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719166
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:34:01 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719166My train usually comes a minute or two early, but somehow manages to arrive ten to fifteen minutes late every time.

The MTA needs to stop frivolously paying employees (100k+ salaries for conductors is absolutely ridiculous) and start reinvesting in their trains and tracks. The whole system needs to be updated. New trains: Hudson and Connecticut line use old cars, the ACE, 123, D, etc, run on terribly pathetic ancient.. brown things. The trains need to be updated and they need to run faster. If they could reduce the amount of time it takes to get into the city by 10-25%, it would heavily increase transportation and revenue. Additionally, they should really work to cut down the amount of time that commuter trains are in the Park tunnel. 10-25 minutes underground is obnoxious. Speed it up.

]]>By: Samhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719162
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:29:09 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719162I also agree with the findings. I have been taking the rush hour express train to Jersey Ave from Newark Penn to Metropark and it runs on time 50% of the time. Occasionally, the train is cancelled all together with, and the rest of the time it runs 5-20min late.
]]>By: Transport Oraclehttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719148
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:15:38 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719148NJ-Transit have increased the Train-Fare to 30% and decreased the service to 30% (Note : not by 30%).

There is no one to be Questioned as they are the monopoly in this region. as many have no other option except for NJ-Transit to commute between NJ and NY.

]]>By: blacklighthttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719132
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:35:47 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719132Is that the same goddamn NJ Transit that claims to be the best transit system in the nation?

The MTA has been knocking out all service on the E line every weekend for close to a year, never mind the 6:40 AM subway train mysteriously never materializing on a number of weekdays . It won’t surprise me if the MTA comes up with stellar on-time performance numbers for the E line, though. Their bla-bla-bla about about making signal improvements is a b.s. story that shows no signs of having an ending.

]]>By: John V. Karavitishttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719130
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:35:31 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719130John V. Karavitis Indeed, punctuality of public transportation is perhaps the one most telling statistic regarding how well that system is being operated. For the CTA in Chicago, one can go to the Web and see how many minutes away the next bus is. And trains are pretty punctual. There used to be a big problem in Chicago’s CTA system where you would see three buses coming to the same stop, one right after the other. It made no sense, truly. Using technology to track and send buses is the simplest and most cost-effective thing that can be done to ensure that public transportation runs on time. Trains should be even easier, no? John V. Karavitis
]]>By: Georgehttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/comment-page-1/#comment-719114
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:52:58 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/how-punctual-is-your-train/#comment-719114I saw the article in today’s print edition and must say that I’m not too surprised by the findings. Obviously, the rush hour trains are most likely to be delayed simply because there are more of them in a given time period. Once one of those trains is delayed during this congestion period for any reason it will cause a cascade of delays to those behind it etc.

Also, as someone who once worked for NJ Transit, it is unsurprising that they have the worst overall record of the three commuter lines. Much of this is uncontrollable due to the fact that they share the Northeast Corridor with Amtrak. As Amtrak owns these tracks – it’s trains get preference. So an otherwise on-time NJ Transit commuter train will be held up if a late Amtrak train is coming through the line. Not being the master of its own fate on the NE Corridor definitely hurts NJ Transit’s overall and rush hour performance.

And this holds true for both NJ Transit and the LIRR as they share Penn Station with Amtrak.

That said, I must say that I’m glad, as an upstate-bound “weekend commuter” (i.e. up on rush hour Friday night but down on off-peak Sunday night), I seem to have the best of all worlds by taking the Harlem Division of Metro North.